Barbie passed away early this morning. My friend Nicki told everyone in the group. She said:

Dearest Lovelies,

Our Warrior Queen, Barbie Ritzco, passed away peacefully in the early hours of today surrounded by her devoted family. We ask that you keep the Ritzcos in your loving thoughts and prayers.

A life well lived cannot be reduced to a few lines on a piece of paper. Certainly not a life like Gunnery Sergeant Barbara Ritzco. She lived a courageous life. Her indomitable spirit inspired all of us to live each day to the fullest. She never gave up and today she rises.

She once posted the following on her Marathon Barbie page…

Wake up and leave your mark on the world. “I aspire to inspire before I expire.“

Barbie wasn’t a close friend of mine, we were just members of the same breast cancer group. But her death is a loss I am feeling quite keenly. And the reason for that is simple: she was remarkable and brave.

Today is just going to be a God-damn- you – breast-cancer kind of day. Barbie’s passing is right as Pinktober is set to begin. Most survivors I know hate the month of October for it’s fake frothy pinkness which has nothing to do with this disease. Or how we feel when we lose one of our own.

This October please don’t waste your money on pink plastic crap. If you want to do something meaningful, please look to give to one of the charities above in memory of Barbie Ritzco. Or look to responsible charities like breastcancer.org and Living Beyond Breast Cancer.

Barbie was an amazing woman. Who also served our country in the United States Armed Forces.